60% of girls say they want college, only 46% of boys
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Anonymous
That’s not an answer. |
Anonymous
Some of it is biological according to NYT article about this - boys mature later than girls do, yet the academic expectations of the younger grades has increased over time as have testing standards which affect how classroom time is utilized (prep to test bc experiential). Recess used to be 60-90 min daily, unstructured. That was early to mid 20th century. Yet weekly recess time has decreased by sixty minutes since just 2001. |
Anonymous
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Thinking back to my generation, recess was incredibly important for boys in elementary and middle school. It was all sports and games. That was key not only as an outlet for all the physical energy boys have, but it also helped socialize boys. It was kind of a tribal thing. You learned how to get along and that there were tribal consequences for going too far or for being mean. You developed friendships and you were also a part of something. In my day, there was a 15 minute recess in the morning, an hour during lunch when you could out and play, and another 15 minute recess in the afternoon. I think that's pretty important for boys.
Later, in high school, I recall that the school accommodated different interests and academic levels. My school had a pretty popular auto mechanics class. And there was also Shop, which was mostly boys using tools and building things. Boys started to be tracked. There were the AP boys and the auto mechanic boys. There was space for everyone. All that seems to be gone now. No Child Left Behind was pretty disastrous for a lot of boys. That got rid of recess and things like Shop. And it's only gotten worse in subsequent years. It's all testing all the time. Boring. Then throw in screens and social media, which is both isolating and treacherous for teenagers. All parents, but particularly the parents of boys, have to work hard to counter the effects of factory-like schools and social media. It's hard. But I think that's why you see a lot of differentiation in how boys are doing between UMC and lower class households. UMC families have more resources and education to ensure their kid doesn't got lost in the system. And too many lower class boys are left to sink or swim in factory schools that don't accommodate a boys need to run around, to be part of teams, and to build things with their hands. And then the influence of phones and social media are, of course, toxic to teen boys, not least because it inhibits a boys willingness to take risks in their day to day interactions with people. So they withdraw. It's all very sad. We have lost our way with how we educate boys. |
Anonymous
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Pp I don’t think we should track of the toxicity of social media and societal expectations to girls too. Yes they perform better in school and in college. But they also have higher reported levels of anxiety and depression not to mention struggles with people pleasing/not setting limits. The expectations we have for girls socially is a lot of pressure and there is evidence that academic expectation starts young for girls.
I see the negatives on both side having both boys and a daughter. I guess my point is that this academic success we see in girls isn’t necessarily all great if our girls feel overwhelmed and anxious. |
Anonymous
DP. Suicide and drug use occurs across all socioeconomic groups. You and the PP should kindly STFU. |
Anonymous
I don’t know any parents of boys OR girls who thinks less recess is a good thing. |
Anonymous
Very insightful post. Thanks. |
Anonymous
You miss the point completely. There is a reason that boys are not thriving in school. Read Boys Adrift or any of the many articles about how boys learn differently from girls. We have failed them for the past 20 years. We drug them, scold them for acting as typical boys do and do everything in our power to not let them be boys. Smart and Athletic boys seem to do better then average and non athletic boys. And those populations in themselves represent a lot of boys. These problems start by beating down their confidence starting in preschool. |
Anonymous
| I wonder what other countries might be doing right, to educate their boys. |
Anonymous
| Who will our daughters marry then? |
Anonymous
I don’t think men ever asked themselves this question when they vastly outnumbered women in college. |
Anonymous
Each other? |
Anonymous
No worries, and I say this with all seriousness. Alot of successful, educated women marry “down”. Lots of senior level women at my corporate job have low-achieving husbands, househusbands, SAHD husbands etc. That seems to be the norm among that cohort UNLESS they don’t have kids. In that case, the husband may or may not have a good career like the wife. I can also think of a couple high achieving exec women at work who are single, either via divorce or never married. |
Anonymous
I think it’s ridiculous that 50-60% of people go to college. |
Anonymous
Too high or too low? |